LOADING  AMERICAN  GRAPES 


H.  S.  BIRD 

Investigator  in  Fruit  Transportation  and  Storage 

A.  M.  GRIMES 

Scientific  Assistant  in  Fruit  Transportation  and  Storage 


This  Breakage  Can  Bo  Avoided 


UNITED  STATES  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE 


Market*  Doc.  14 


BUREAU  OF  MARKETS 
CHARLES  J.  BRAND,  Chief 


Washington,  D.  C. 


August,  1918 


SUMMARY. 

WHEN  CLIMAX  baskets  are  used  for  loading 
grapes  they  should  be  well  made,  of  good 
wood,  with  veneer  cut  17  to  the  inch  as  a  minimum 
thickness  for  the  12-quart  size  and  20  to  the  inch 
for  the  4  and  2  quart  sizes.  Wooden  handles  permit 
a  firmer  load  than  wire  handles,  as  they  strengthen 
the  baskets  and  serve  as  braces  in  the  load. 

Load  Climax  baskets  of  the  12-quart  size  7  high, 
4-quart  size  12  high,  and  2-quart  size  15  high.  Load 
all  other  packages  to  a  height  of  not  less  than  48 
inches  nor  more  than  60  inches  from  the  bottom  of 
the  first  layer. 

Bushel  baskets,  hampers,  and  miscellaneous  boxes 
are  not  satisfactory  packages  for  grapes,  for  they 
can  not  be  loaded  safely  with  economy. 

All  types  of  grape  packages  carry  best  when 
loaded  by  the  "  straight  system,"  i.  e.,  with  all  pack- 
ages end  to  end  extending  from  one  ice  bunker  to 
the  other.  In  every  other  layer  of  Climax  baskets 
it  is  necessary  to  load  those  that  touch  the  bulk- 
head crosswise  of  the  car  in  order  to  fill  in  the 
otherwise  vacant  spaces,  but  this  should  not  be 
permitted  anywhere  else  in  the  load. 

All  slack  should  be  taken  up  as  the  packages  are 
being  loaded,  using  racks  to  fill  out  at  the  end  of 
the  car  when  there  is  surplus  space. 

Every  fraction  of  an  inch  of  surplus  space  from 
side  to  side  of  the  car  should  be  tightly  filled  in  by 
loading  the  last  row  diagonally,  as  recommended  in 
this  bulletin. 

The  only  place  where  any  package  should  be 
placed  crosswise  of  the  car  is  at  the  ends  of  the  load 
to  fill  in  otherwise  vacant  places  next  to  the  ice 
bunkers. 


LOADING  AMERICAN  GRAPES. 


INVESTIGATIONS  of  the  methods  used  in  loading  cars  of  grapes 
were  conducted  by  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture 
at  Pennsylvania  and  New  York  grape-shipping  points  and  in  the 
markets  of  Boston,  New  York,  Brooklyn,  Philadelphia,  and  Pitts- 
burgh during  the  shipping  season  of  1917.  The  findings  presented 
in  this  document,  however,  apply  equally  to  Pennsylvania,  Michigan, 
New  York,  New  Jersey,  Ohio,  and  other  American  grape-shipping 
sections. 

A  close  study  of  more  than  300  cars  while  they  were  being  loaded 
or  unloaded  snowed  that  crushing  caused  greater  losses  in  transit 
than  fungus  decay.  The  purpose  of  the  investigation,  therefore,  was 
to  determine  the  factors  involved  in  the  loading  of  grapes  that 
influence  crushing.  These  studies  showed  that  the  extent  to  which 
crushing  will  occur  in  a  carload  of  grapes  is  governed  by  the  type 
and  strength  of  package,  the  manner  and  care  used  in  loading,  the 
height  of  the  load,  the  construction  of  the  car,  and  the  handling  it 
receives  from  the  railroad. 

PACKAGE. 

The  particular  package  to  be  used  for  shipping  grapes  is  chosen 
because  of  the  protection  it  gives  to  the  fruit,  its  cost,  its  suitability 
for  certain  markets,  its  market  attractiveness,  and  its  availability. 
The  12-quart  Climax  baskets  and  trays  were  found  by  most  shippers 
to  give  the  greatest  general  satisfaction.  Fancy  table  grapes  were 
shipped  usually  in  2  and  4  quart  Climax  baskets,  and  these  packages 
were  satisfactory  when  properly  made.  As  the  12-quart  Climax 
baskets  were  the  frailest  in  comparison  with  the  weight  contained, 
it  was  found  that  special  care  should  be  taken  in  their  construction. 
If  they  were  newly  made  of  good,  straight-grained  wood,  with  the 
veneer  cut  not  thinner  than  17  to  the  inch  for  the  12-quart  size  and 
20  to  the  inch  for  the  4  and  2  quart  sizes,  and  if  the  parts  were  well 
nailed,  these  baskets  were  found  to  meet  all  heavy  carloading  re- 
quirements. 

Baskets  made  with  wooden  handles  were  more  rigid  and  made  a 
tighter  load  than  those  with  wire  handles.  The  investigations  showed 
that  the  covers  should  completely  cover  the  top  and  should  be  well 
fastened  so  that  they  can  not  slide.  The  high  raised  covers  used  on 

3 


4  LOADING   AMERICAN   GRAPES. 

Climax  baskets  from  Michigan  and  other  sections  resulted  in  heavy 
breakage.  The  ordinary  flat  wooden  covers  proved  satisfactory 
when  securely  stapled  to  the  ends  of  the  baskets. 

When  made  with  ordinary  care  and  uniformity,  any  of  the  grape 
trays  in  common  use  were  found  to  hold  up  under  heavy  load 
conditions,  as  herein  recommended. 

HEAVY  LOADING  OF  CARS. 

The  greatest  difficulty  in  shipping  the  1917  grape  crop  was  in 
meeting  the  heavier  loading  requirements  brought  about  by  the  war 
emergency  conditions  without  undue  crushing  of  the  bottom  pack- 
ages. The  interests  of  all  are  served  by  shipping  carloads  of  the 
heaviest  weight  possible  without  undue  injury  to  the  contents.  Every 
pound  over  the  "  minimum  "  which  the  railroad  tariffs  have  estab- 
lished means  a  saving  to  shipper  and  carrier,  provided  the  load  is 
not  injured  thereby. 

In  the  investigations  it  was  found  that  certain  shippers  were 
consistently  loading  shipments  of  grapes  which,  regardless  of  pack- 
age, car,  railroad,  or  destination,  arrived  with  little  or  no  loss  from 
breakage.  On  the  other  hand,  cars  from  other  shippers  were  just 
as  consistently  arriving  in  an  unsatisfactory  condition.  A  compari- 
son of  the  cars  shipped  by  the  two  classes  of  shippers  showed  that, 
within  reasonable  limits,  the  height  of  load  had  little  influence  on 
the  amount  of  crushing.  In  fact,  the  shippers  whose  cars  arrived  in 
the  best  condition  averaged  more  grapes  to  the  car  than  did  the 

others. 

SHIFTING  OF  THE  LOAD  IN  TRANSIT. 

When  the  cars  were  opened  in  the  market  it  was  found  that,  while 
considerable  breakage  occurred  at  the  ends,  the  greatest  damage  was 
at  the  floor  near  the  doorway.  Furthermore,  the  crushing  was 
always  much  worse  on  one  side  of  the  car  than  on  the  other,  owing 
to  the  shifting  of  the  load  toward  that  side.  (Cover  illustration  and 
figs.  6  and  7.)  Nearly  every  load  examined  had  shifted  so  badly 
that  near  the  doorways  the  top  baskets  were  from  1  inch  to  3  feet 
from  one  of  the  side  walls  (Figs.  8,  9,  and  10.)  The  greater  this 
shifting,  the  greater  was  the  crushing  at  the  bottom  on  the  side 
toward  which  the  shift  came.  The  investigation  finally  disclosed 
the  facts  that  without  exception,  the  load  was  shifted  toward  that 
side  of  the  car  which  was  loaded  last.  This  could  only  mean  that 
the  method  of  loading  influenced  the  carrying  qualities  of  the  load. 

METHODS  OF  LOADING. 

The  exact  methods  of  loading  practiced  by  the  successful  shippers 
were  then  carefully  studied  in  order  to  compare  their  systems  with 
those  of  the  less  successful  shippers. 


LOADING   AMERICAN   GRAPES.  5 

"STRAIGHT"  SYSTEM   OF   LOADING   CARS   OF  GRAPES. 

The  most  successful  shippers  invariably  used  the  most  care  in 
loading  the  packages  into  the  car.  They  made  the  load  tight  by  plac- 
ing each  package  snugly  against  its  neighbors  (figs.  11  and  12). 
When  using  Climax  baskets,  especially  of  the  12-quart  size,  they 
followed  the  "straight"  system  of  loading;  that  is,  the  first  row  of 
baskets  ran  the  full  length  of  the  car  from  one  ice  bunker  to  the 
other  (fig.  13).  The  succeeding  layers  and  rows  were  then  placed 
in  the  same  way  with  the  baskets  of  each  layer  fitting  between  the 
handles  of  those  below.  No  baskets  were  placed  crosswise  of  the 
car  anywhere  in  the  load  except  where  necessary  to  fill  out  the  other- 
wise vacant  places  at  the  ends  of  the  load  (fig.  14).  Special  care 
was  used  to  see  that  each  row  was  tight  against  the  one  preceding  it. 

When  the  last  row  was  reached,  the  baskets  were  loaded  diagonally 
with  the  baskets  in  each  layer  parallel  with  one  another,  and  placed 
at  an  angle  great  enough  to  take  up  all  surplus  space  (figs.  15  and 
16.)  By  loading  the  last  row  in  this  manner  the  space  was  firmly 
filled  and  the  handles  acted  as  braces  for  the  baskets  above  (fig.  17). 
In  starting  this  diagonal  row  it  was,  of  course,  necessary  at  one  end 
to  "  nose  "  the  first  basket  into  the  corner  of  the  car  and  at  the  other 
to  place  the  first  one  crosswise  in  order  to  permit  a  good  union  when 
the  last  baskets  were  put  in  at  the  doorway.  In  exceptional  cases, 
when  the  car  width  was  such  that  the  last  row  fitted  snugly  without 
placing  the  baskets  diagonally,  it  was  customary  to  place  them  in 
the  same  manner  as  they  had  been  placed  in  the  other  rows  (fig.  18). 

It  made  comparatively  little  difference  whether  the  12-quart 
Climax  baskets  were  loaded  five  high  or  seven  high,  so  long  as  the 
baskets  were  placed  exactly  as  has  been  described. 

BASKETS  PLACED  CROSSWISE  IN  THE  CAR. 

Even  one  or  two  baskets  placed  crosswise  in  the  car  (fig.  19), 
especially  if  near  the  floor,  created  a  weak  spot  around  which  there 
was  often  crushing.  If  the  load  "  chucked  "  somewhat  from  one  end, 
these  occasional  crosswise  baskets  were  centers  for  breakage  (fig.  20). 
The  reason  for  this,  it  became  apparent,  was  that  crosswise  baskets 
do  not  permit  any  "  give  "  in  the  load.  When  a  car  is  switched  it  is 
sure  to  receive  a  jolt;  and,  although  the  blow  may  be  comparatively 
light,  the  load  must  give  enough  to  take  up  the  shock.  Even  when 
loaded  as  tightly  as  possible,  Climax  baskets  are  bound  to  give  some- 
what more  than  most  fruit  packages.  The  best  that  can  be  done  is  to 
load  the  baskets  so  that  this  "  giving  "  will  do  the  least  harm  possible. 
In  decreasing  losses  from  this  source,  the  "  straight "  system  of  load- 
ing is  far  superior  to  the  "  square  "  system  or  to  any  other  system  or 
variation.  It  produces  a  unity  of  each  row  that  is  essential.  Any- 
thing that  tends  to  break  that  unity  is  a  bid  for  damage. 


6  LOADING  AMERICAN  GRAPES. 

"  SQUARE  "    SYSTEMS    OF    LOADING    CARS    OF    GRAPES. 

Systems  of  loading  Climax  grape  baskets  known  as  the  "square" 
systems  are  customary  in  certain  sections  (fig.  21).  These  systems 
consist  in  building  the  baskets  up  in  stacks  with  half  of  the  baskets 
lengthwise  and  half  of  them  crosswise  of  the  car.  In  the  case  of  the 
12-quart  Climax  basket  these  methods  of  loading  cars  nearly  always 
resulted  in  considerable  damage,  and,  while  not  so  objectionable 
when  used  with  the  4-quart,  and  especially  the  2-quart  basket,  are 
not  to  be  recommended. 

COMBINING    THE    "STRAIGHT"   AND    "SQUARE"    SYSTEMS    OF   LOADING. 

Another  common  method  of  loading  Climax  baskets  consisted  of 
loading  them  in  the  cars  as  described  under  the  "  straight  *'  system 
until  the  last  two  or  four  rows  were  reached.  Then  the  load  was  com- 
pleted by  the  "square"  system  (fig.  22).  This  combination  method 
of  loading  was  responsible  for  serious  losses.  (See  cover  and  fig. 
23.)  It  did  not  take  up  the  surplus  space  from  side  to  side  of  the 
car,  and  consequently  the  loads  shifted  badly.  Then,  too,  as  else- 
where stated,  crosswise  baskets  are  a  continual  source  of  weakness. 

RACKS   AT   ENDS   OF   CAR. 

It  should  be  emphasized  that  it  is  necessary  to  load  packages 
tightly  together  lengthwise  of  the  car  as  well  as  sidewise.  When 
cars  were  loaded  by  the  "  straight "  system  with  all  packages  placed 
snugly  there  was  comparatively  little  danger  of  having  the  load 
"chuck"  severely  when  the  cars  were  being  switched.  In  cars 
where  snug  loading  left  a  space  at  one  end  too  small  to  take  another 
package  it  was  advisable  to  fill  it  in  with  wooden  car  racks  (fig.  24). 

MIXED    LOADS. 

One  of  the  greatest  single  sources  of  damage  was  the  practice  of 
loading  cars  Avith  different  kinds  of  packages  (fig.  25).  Several 
cars  for  one  firm  were  shipped  with  disastrous  result  from  the 
Finger  Lake  section  of  New  York  in  which  the  only  "  system  "  used 
was  that  trays  should  not  be  loaded  on  top  of  baskets.  It  was  not 
unusual  for  a  single  car  to  contain  trays,  boxes,  bushel  baskets,  and 
12-quart  baskets. 

When  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  ship  "  mixed  "  loads  in  order 
to  assemble  a  full  car,  the  one  rule  is  to  make  completed  rows  of 
each  kind  of  package  from  end  to  end  of  the  car  (fig.  26).  Never, 
for  example,  should  bushel  baskets  be  placed  in  one  end  of  the  car, 
trays  in  the  other,  and  Climax  baskets  in  the  middle.  If  these  pack- 
ages must  be  placed  in  one  car  the  trays  should  form  rows  from 
end  to  end,  followed  by  rows  of  the  other  packages.  If  there  is  not 
enough  of  one  kind  of  packages  to  complete  a  row  to  the  proper 


LOADING   AMERICAN   GRAPES.  7 

height  they  should  be  loaded  from  end  to  end  of  the  car,  with  the 
last  row  as  high  as  the  available  number  of  packages  will  extend  and 
another  kind  of  package  should  be  loaded  above.  It  is  even  better 
to  ship  packages  only  in  such  numbers  that  it  is  possible  to  load  them 
in  complete  rows  to  the  full  height. 

CAR  BULKHEADS. 

More  crushing  occurred  in  open-bulkhead  refrigerator  cars  than 
when  the  solid-bulkhead  type,  in  which  the  bars  are  replaced  by  a 
solid  wall,  were  used.  When  the  car  construction  was  such  that  any 
package  or  packages  could  work  in  under  the  bulkhead  through  the 
lower-bulkhead  opening  a  narrow  strip  of  wood  was  nailed  across 
even  with  the  "  climax  "  or  band  at  the  top  of  these  baskets,  pi-e- 
venting many  losses.  It  is  well,  however,  to  remember  that  the 
wider  this  strip  the  more  the  refrigeration  of  the  load  will  be  re- 
tarded. A  1^-inch  board  properly  placed  will  serve  as  well  as  a 
0-inch  board  and  blocks  only  one-fourth  as  much  circulation  from 
the  ice  bunkers. 

CAR  FLOORS. 

Still  another  point  of  interest  is  that  cars  so  constructed  that  pack- 
ages could  not  catch  on  the  floor  had  fewer  crushed  and  broken 
baskets  than  those  with  widely  spaced  floor  strips  running  across  the 
car,  or  with  floor  strips  extending  from  the  ice  bunkers  to  a  line 
even  with  the  door  studding  and  a  smooth  floor  in  the  middle  (fig. 
27).  It  was  surprising  how  many  baskets  were  crushed  because  the 
bottoms  caught  on  these  floor  strips  and  could  not  move  a  fraction 
of  an  inch  with  the  rest  of  the  load  when  the  cars  were  jolted 
(fig.  28). 


LOADING  AMERICAN   GRAPES. 


Ready  to  Load  in  Car  for  Shipment  to  Market. 

FIG.  1. — Grapes  in  12-quart  (Jumbo)  Climax  baskets  ready  for  loading.     Northeast,  Pa. 

Oct.,  1917. 


At  Market. 
FIG.  2. — Unloading  cars  of  grapes  in  a  market  city.     Pittsburgh,  Pa. 


LOADING  AMERICAN   GRAPES. 


Buying  Grapes  for  Wine. 

Fio.  3. — Every  basket  is  critically  examined  before  being  accepted. 

Oct.,  1917. 


Boston,  Mass., 


How  Some  of  the  Damage  Begins. 

Fio.  4. — The  basket  at  the  bottom  of  the  load  is  already  beginning  to  crush  before  the 
car  is  completely  loaded.  When  this  basket  gives  way,  the  added  weight  on  the  neigh- 
boring baskets  will  crush  them.  One  small  defect  is  often  the  starting  point  for  much 
damage.  Westfleld,  N.  Y.,  Oct.,  1917. 

76924°— 13 2 


10 


LOADING  AMERICAN   GRAPES. 


Well-Loaded  Grape  Trays. 

FIG.  5. — The  above  method  of  loading  trays  is  an  exception  to  the  rule  to  load  with  no 
packages  crosswise  of  car.  But  even  this  method  is  inferior  to  a  tight,  evenly  loaded 
car  with  all  trays  endwise  and  the  slack  taken  up  by  strong  racks  at  the  end  or  middle. 
Northeast,  Pa.,  Oct.,  1917. 


Slack  Loading  Did  This. 

FIG.  6. — The  bottom  baskets  on  the  side  toward  which  the  shift  came  are  completely 
crushed.     Boston,  Mass.,  Oct.,  1917. 


LOADING  AMERICAN   GEAPES. 


11 


A  Few  Baskets  Loaded  Crosswise  of  the  Car  Caused  this  Breakage. 

FIG.  7. — Surplus  space  in  the  car  was  not  taken  up,  with  the  result  that  the  load  shifted 
badly.  Occasional  baskets  placed  crosswise  of  car  and  too  much  space  between  ends 
of  baskets  aided  crushing.  Boston,  Mass.,  Oct.,  1917. 


Load  Shifted  Because  of  Slack  at  Other  Side  of  Car. 

Fiu.  8. — Shifting  as  it  appears  when  cart*  are  opened  In  the  market.     Boston,  Mass., 

Oct.  1017. 


12 


LOADING   AMERICAN   GRAPES. 


Slack  Loading  Permitted  This. 

FIG.  9. — Bad  shifting  caused  by  leaving  surplus  space  between  rows  on  last  loaded  side  of 
car  (at  right).     Boston,  Mass.,  Oct.,  1917. 


This  Very  Common  Sight  was  Caused  by  Slack  Loading. 

FIG.  10. — Shifting  permitted  by  not  loading  with  a  view  toward  taking  up  all  surplus 
space  from  side  to  side  of  car.  This  car  is  loaded  only  six  high  of  the  12-quart  baskets, 
yet  is  as  badly  shifted  as  loads  seven  and  eight  high.  The  baskets  on  the  floor  of  this 
car  on  the  side  toward  which  this  shift  came  were  badly  crushed.  Boston,  Mass.,  Oct., 
1917. 


LOADING  AMERICAN   GRAPES. 


13 


Loose  Loads  Usually  "  Chuck,"  Causing  Damage. 

FIG.  11. — Note  the  surplus  space  between  baskets.     Such  loads  encourage  severe  "  chuck- 
ing," and  consequent  damage.    The  surplus  space  should  have  been  taken  up  by  use  of 
•  a  rack  at  one  bulkhead.     Oct.,  1917.  , 


14 


LOADING   AMERICAN   GRAPES. 


A  Careless  Load  Such  as  This  Is  Unpardonable. 

FIG.  12. — Can  such  a  load  be  expected  to  carry  well?  The  shipper  twice  reloaded  the 
middle  of  this  car  when  he  noticed  the  Government  representative  making  photographs. 
Northeast,  Pa.,  Oct.,  1917. 


LOADING  AMERICAN   GRAPES. 


15 


"  Straight "  System  of  Lending. 
Flu.  13. — The  baskets  an-  well  pluwd  and  there  is  uo  surplus  space  between  them. 


16 


LOADING   AMERICAN   GRAPES. 


Good  Snug  Loading. 

FIG.  14. — The  only  place  that  baskets  should  be  placed  crosswise  of  the  car  is  next  to 
the  bulkhead  to  fill  In  the  otherwise  vacant  spaces. 


LOADING   AMERICAN    GRAPES. 


17 


Details  of  a  Row  Loaded  Diagonally. 

FIG.  15. — The  last  row  in  the  car  should  be  loaded  diagonally  to  take  up  any  surplus  space 
from  side  to  side  of  the  car. 


18 


LOADING   AMERICAN   GRAPES. 


The  Last  Row  Loaded  Diagonally  as  it  Appears  from  the  Car  Door. 

FIG.  16. — All  slack  from  side  to  side  of  the  car  is  taken  up  and  the  source  of  greatest 
crushing  is  thereby  eliminated.    Westfleld,  N.  Y.,  Oct.,  1917. 


LOADING   AMERICAN    GRAPES. 


19 


No  Breakage  In  This  Car. 

FUJ.  17. — This  load  arrived  In  perfect  condition.  Note  the  diagonally  loaded  baskets  In 
the  row  next  to  the  door.  The  other  nine  rows  were  all  loaded  by  the  "  straight " 
system.  Boston,  Mass.,  Oct.,  1917. 


20 


LOADING    AMERICAN    GRAPES. 


Car  of  Exact  Width  to  Make  Snug  Load  Without  Placing  Last  Row  Diagonally. 

FIG.  18. — An  exceptional  case  in  which  the  last  (tenth)  row  of  baskets  completely  filled 
the  space  from  side  to  side  of  the  car,  for  which  reason  it  was  not  necessary  to  place 
the  last  row  diagonally.  Westfleld,  N.  Y.,  Oct.,  1917. 


LOADING   AMERICAN   GRAPES. 


21 


A  Poorly  Loaded  Car. 

FIG.   19. — Occasional  baskets  placed  crosswise  of  the  load  form  centers  around  which 
breakage  develops.    This  car  Is  also  loosely  loaded.     Westfleld,  N.  Y.,  Oct.,  1917. 


Crosswise  Baskets  Caused  This  Breakage. 

Fio.  20. — The  layers  of  baskets  placed  crosswise  of  the  car  have  given  way  and  are  more 
or  loss  crushed,  while  the  baskets  placed  endwise  hold.  Crosswise  packages  are  a  con- 
tinual source  of  damage  and  should  not  be  permitted.  Boston,  Mass.,  Oct.,  1917. 


22 


LOADING    AMERICAN    GRAPES. 


Unsatisfactory  Loading  Methods. 

FIG.  21. — Two  different  "  square  "  systems  of  loading  Climax  baskets.  Neither  of  these 
should  be  used  for  the  12-quart  basket,  but  they  are  quite  satisfactory  for  4  and  2  quart 
baskets  if  the  loading  is  carefully  done.  The  "  straight »'  system,  however,  is  preferred. 


LOADING  AMERICAN   GRAPES. 


23 


Loose  Loads  Like  This  Shift  Badly  In  Transit  and  Cause  Had  Breakage. 

FIG.  22. — The  last  four  rows  are  loaded  by  "  square  "  system.  Note  the  surplus  space 
between  baskets.  This  loud  will  shift  badly  toward  the  right,  and  the  bottom  baskets 
will  be  crushed.  Westfleld,  N.  Y.,  Oct.,  1917. 


24 


LOADING    AMERICAN    GRAPES. 


How  a  Car  Loaded  Like  the  One  in  Figure  22  Looked  When  Being  Unloaded. 

FIG.  23. — The  picture  tells  the  whole  story.  The  side  at  the  left  was  the  first  side  loaded. 
All  of  the  baskets  in  the  first  six  rows  were  placed  properly.  In  the  last  four  rows 
they  were  loaded  by  the  "  square  "  system,  which  method  did  not  take  up  all  the  sur- 
plus space.  Consequently,  the  load  shifted  toward  that  side.  Note  that  the  bottom 
basket  in  the  last  fully  visible  row  to  the  loft  is  only  partly  crushed,  the  bottom  basket 
to  right  thereof  is  in  a  considerably  worse  condition,  and  from  there  on  the  amount  of 
damage  increased  rapidly  until  at  the  door  on  the  right  the  bottom  layers  were  useless. 
The  pile  on -the  right  shows  but  a  small  part  of  the  damaged  baskets  set  aside  when 
the  half  of  the  load  where  the  camera  man  stood  had  been  taken  from  the  car.  Boston, 
Mass.,  Oct.,  1917. 


Racks  Take  up  Surplus  Space  at  End  of  Car  and  Prevent  "  Chucking." 

Fio.  24. — Rack  used  to  occupy  surplus  space  between  baskets  and  bulkhead.     Westfield, 

N.  Y.,  Oct.  1917. 


LOADING  AMERICAN   GRAPES. 


25 


Such  Loads  Become  Badly  Broken  in  Transit. 

Fio.  25. — With  different  kinds  of  packages  in  opposite  ends  of  the  load,  crushing  is  almost 
certain  to  result.    Northeast,  Pa.,  Oct.,  1917. 


Very  Little  Breakage  in  Cars  of  Mixed  Packages  Loaded  This  Way. 

Pio.  20. — When  It  Is  absolutely  necessary  to  load  more  than  one  kind  of  package  in  a  car, 
the  above  method  should  be  used  with  complete  rows  (only)  of  each  kind  of  package, 
from  end  to  end  of  car.  Westfleld,  X.  Y.,  Oct.,  1917. 


26 


LOADING   AMERICAN   GRAPES. 


An  Uneven  Floor  Makes  a  Poor  Load. 

FIG.  27. — Car-floor  strips  often  extend  only  from  bulkheads  to  door  studding,  resulting  in 
unevenness  of  floor  and  often  a  crushing  of  baskets  when  the  load  "  chucks  "  and  bot- 
tom board  of  the  baskets  catch  on  ends  of  floor  strips.  Westfleld,  N.  Y.,  Oct.,  1917. 


Breakage  When  Packages  Catch  on  Car  Floor. 

FIG.  28. — The  bottom  baskets  caught  on  the  floor  strips  running  crosswise  of  the  car,  and 
when  the  load  "  chucked  "  in  switching  these  baskets  were  crushed.  Note  the  light  load 
in  this  car.  Boston,  Mass.,  Oct.,  1917. 


LOADING  AMERICAN   GRAPES. 


27 


Are  Hampers  Satisfactory  V 

FIG.  29. — Hampers  are,  at  best,  unsatisfactory  packages  for  shipping  grapes.     Boston, 

Mass.,  Oct.,  1917. 


Loading  to  Make  a  Snug  Load  from  Side  to  Side  of  Car. 
(In  figs.  30  a  to  c  the  baskets  in  the  row  nearest  to  the  reader  were  not  moved.) 


The  "  Square  "  System  Does  not  Take  up  Full  Space. 

FI<J.  IlOa. — Note  that  there  are  4  Inches  of  space  between  the  car  wall  and  the  edge  of  the 

first   basket. 


28 


LOADING   AMERICAN    GRAPES. 


The  "  Square  "  System  Does  not  Take  up  Full  Space. 

Fio.  30b. — Note  that  there  is  no  improvement  by  the  use  of  the  "  square  "  system  for  the 
last  two  rows.    There  are  still  the  4  inches  of  surplus  space. 


The  "  Diagonal "  System  for  the  Last  Row  Does  Take  up  all  Surplus  Space  from  Side  to 

Side  of  car. 

FIG.  30c. — Note  that  the  "  diagonal "  system  for  the  row  next  to  the  car  wall  takes  up  all 
surplus  space.  A  carefully  loaded  car  with  the  load  stowed  in  this  way  can  not  shift  in 
transit. 


o 


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